Life is a circle


Illustration by Joost Swarte, 2019

In a single second, you were born into this beautiful world without your concern, and you had to accept it whatsoever. But as you started growing older, you started having control and taking some decisions of your life step by step maybe from that day when you started saying no to the afternoon naps as it is one the obligations of a Rwandan child not to mentions those who were wiped so hard just because of saying no and go to bed crying until they fall asleep. You became more mature, deliberate, and sometimes more independent and took decisions on your own as you grow older.

No more naps as a command from your grandmother, but you decide to take it for the better of your life; you start doing certain things for your goodwill, not because you are afraid of being wiped by your parents or your guardians. As you grow older, you fail and succeed. You grow and glow, you fall and rise, and most especially, you start getting a sense of life. You create great and worst memories with families and friends as you get older, not to ignore some who get lost in the process, but that is a story for another day. However, One day you will return to the time where you were not able to think or control your life, and you will become literally like a baby in an old body.

Think about this.

This time, I want to give you a worthwhile challenge. Just reflect on how your life is currently, the way you are enjoying, or not your youth time due to different circumstances. The way you are working towards your goals, the impact you want to make either small or big, the countries you wish to travel to, that lifestyle you want to live in, and so on. Hopefully, you are enjoying a sense of thinking about that. I also want you to call back the very best memory you have ever had with either your family or your friend so far. How do you feel about recalling every moment? Have you ever told anyone about it? How was the experience? Do you wish to have that experience again or the best moment than that? Hopefully, you will.

Let’s imagine that all of these things became history, and you are now 80 years of age by GOD’s grace, have you ever thought of how life will be at that time? A time where you won’t have a big circle of friends as you do now (for those who do) or a time where you won’t have a big family or sometimes anyone near you. Maybe you will get Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, and you won’t be able to remember or recognize your children. Life will totally be different. However, here comes the good news; there are so many ways of living this time of your retirement age healthier and happier. And you can still be able to continue giving a contribution to impacting people’s lives or developing your country in different ways in your ability. But how?

Have you ever thought about this? 

So, as an intellectual, fit, and an independent person you are, have you thought of what you should do to prepare you for the better old age? How would you like to live your life at your old age? I have less doubt that some of you would say that they would like to spend their old ages in an environment that allows them to live their life fully. An environment that is elderly friendly places maybe life Sweden and Denmark or others would prefer living on an island (just saying).

If these questions made you realize something that you have never thought before, you are allowed to continue reading my blog, but if not, you can continue reading it is all fine.

Three things you could do to prepare you to age well

Getting older entails transition, including negative and positive, and you will appreciate getting older if you realize what’s going on in your body and take action to improve you are well being. Many different issues happen to the body when you age. Your skin, bones, and, indeed, your brain can begin to act differently. Don’t let the transitions that come with old age shock you. Many body shifts are a normal part of aging, so you don’t have to be slowed down. What’s more, there’s so much you can do to preserve the body and make it as safe as possible. (Rodriguez and Pat F. Bass III, 2020) . That is why I chose three of the possible things you could start doing while you are still young for you to age well.

1. Develop good habits:

You often hear from so many different people about the importance of creating good habits such as daily physical activities. Eating healthy and a well-balanced meal, limit alcohol consumption, refrain from smoking, getting enough sleep, saving, cut unnecessary expenses, and so many more. Still, you sometimes do not take these things seriously. However, creating or developing these habits/skills could help you stay healthy and keep your minds sharp, which could also help you to better prepare for our old ages while you are still young and capable. For more information, you can read this article.

2. Work hard and manage your finances:

As for now, you are capable of working and getting money, there will be a time where you won’t have that same energy, and you will still need the money. More maybe than you did when you were young (this might subjective) because you will need to take care of so many things such as geriatric services, food, etc. therefore, I would like to encourage each one of you to work hard, earn money, start little savings and to invest. And later, you could start budgeting for your retirement time. Read this article written by  Agnes Aineah for more on how you could get ready for retirement in terms of finance while you are still young. 

3. Figure out what you’ll do with your time:

So while the concept of having all the free time in the world might seem appealing, once you find yourself in that situation, you may be hard hit by reality. The reality is that it is difficult to move from a full-time work schedule to a complete lack of structure, which explains why so many seniors are eventually the target of depression.
If you really must remedy this situation, come up with a strategy to spend your newly found free time to make sure it matches your budget and income. You may think you’re going to golf twice a week and fly once a month, but if your finances don’t afford that lifestyle, you’re going to have to come up with a different strategy. (Fool, 2020).

Call to action

“We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it”.

(Charles, 2020)

It for the fact that human beings grow older, and it is inevitable, but what you can start doing now could determine how your old ages would look like. I want to encourage everyone to start preparing for their old ages step by step, and you can do that better in your youth stage of life, which most of us are in right now. On the other side, I would like to kindly remind you (for those of you who have never thought about this) to start preparing for better old ages of your loved ones. Those could be your parents/ guardians or anyone that you love who is growing older or to enhance the care you give to the older people in your family. Start paying a visit much more than you ever did; this can mean a lot more than you think.

Thank you so much for reading. Take care.

References

Fool, M., 2020. 5 Things You Must Do Before You Retire. [online] CNNMoney. Available at: <https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/17/pf/things-to-do-before-you-retire/index.html>.

Aineah, A., 2020. How To Get Ready For Retirement While Still Young : The Standard. [online] The Standard. Available at: <https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001344255/how-to-get-ready-for-retirement-while-still-young>].

Develop Good Habits. 2020. 20 Success Habits To Start Before The Age Of 25. [online] Available at: <https://www.developgoodhabits.com/youth-success-habits/>.

Rodriguez, D. and Pat F. Bass III, M., 2020. 7 Steps To Healthy Aging, Happy Aging | Everyday Health. [online] EverydayHealth.com. Available at: <https://www.everydayhealth.com/senior-health/understanding/index.aspx>.

Charles, R., 2020. Charles R. Swindoll Quotes (Author Of The Grace Awakening). [online] Goodreads.com. Available at: <https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5139.Charles_R_Swindoll>.